Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



,W. M. CLARK, Breech-Loading Fire-Arm.

No. 198,080. Paten ed Dec. 11, 1877.

WITNESSES %E%T/9R mun M,

v ATTORN Ev tute the lock-case.

UNITE STATES PATENTOFFIGE.

WARREN M. CLARK, or wAvERL NEW YORK.

' I'IM'PROV EMEINT INYBREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.'198,0S0 dated Decemberll, 1877; application filed v i i September 1, 1577.

To all whom it mag concern: v I

Be it knownthat I, WARREN M. CLARK, of

1Waverly, in the county of Tioga and State of New York, haveinvented a new and valuable Improvement in "Breech-Loading Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a and exact description of the con full, clear, struction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

' Figure l of the drawings is arepresentation of a side view of this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical'central section. Fig. 3 1s a reverse view in vertical section.

This invention has relation to lmprovements in breech-loading fire-arms; and the nature of the invention consists in combining with an open-ended barrel and a vertically-sliding breech-block, closing the said barrel and containing the firing-pin, a jointed lever pivoted at one end to the said block, and provided at the other end with a prismatic eye, a transverse shaft extending through the said eye, and a thumb lever on said shaft, whereby the operation of opening the breech for the introduction of the cartridge is greatly facilitated, and the block is allowed to be raised or lowered without binding, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the annexed drawings, the letter A designates the barrel, rigidly secured to-the cheekplates B, which, together with the triggerguard plate 0 and the tongue-plate D, consti- E represents the hammer, applied upon a screw, a, in the usual manner, and actuated bya mainspring, F. This ham-. mer has the usual half and full cock notches M, which engage a trigger, G, pivoted, in theusual manner, in plate 0, and maintained and held in proper position for engaging the said trigger by a spring, b, secured at one end to said plate, and hearing at the other upon the heel of the trigger. The mainspring F is secured to plate 0 at one end, and is held in an inclined position by a bearing-spur, c. The free end of this spring is provided with spaced guiding-lips d, between which the hammer-edge is received. The said spring is thereby kept at all times in proper position in contact with the hammer, and bears against an elliptically-curved edge,

vbeveled or inclined, as shown in increased as it approaches the end of its stroke, "owing to the increased leverage thus obtained.

: Itwill be readily seen that this construction of the bearing'on the cock enables me to dispense with the usual stirrup generally employed in attainin g'this in creased leverage and velocity. The hammer works through an oblong curved slot in plate D, and is provided upon its front and rear edges, respectively, with projecting spurs ff, the upper curved surfaces 9 of which are always in close contact with the end walls of the slot 2, whether the. hammer be at half or full cook, or in the position for firing, thereby excluding dust and other foreign matters from the. hollow of the lock-case. In front of the slot 2 is a second slot, 2, in which is arranged the breech-block I, carrying a firing-pin, j, held off from the cartridge by means of a spring. The front face of this block is vertical, and its rear face Fig. 2, and the said block is regulated in its movements by guides h, having the same inclination with reference to the perpendicular as the rear edge of the said block. This block has upon its under side two spaced lateral lugs, 1, between which is pivoted a section, 0,- of a jointed coupling, J, the other section'of which is provided with an eye, m,

matic form, through which a transverse shaft,

L, having its bearings in the sides of the lockand provided with a bearing of tion after the passage of the cartridge intothe barrel. The breech is opened by depressing the lever M, and closed, after the insertion of a cartridge, by raising the said lever. When the block is raised it is firmly wedged by the inclined guides h against the end of the barrel, and is caused to form an air and gas tight joint therewith.

upon its. lower end, of pris-- and which materially aids in returning the said block into that posi- In the raising or lowering of the breechblock the jointed lever J allows, these movements to be made in precisely the same plane; consequently there will be no binding or lockin g of the said block until it is wedged against the barrel by the guides aforesaid.

As shown in Fig. 3, the rear end of the barrel is recessed at p, to receive the upper arm of an angular extracting-lever, P, the other arm of which extends under the breech-block. This lever is pivoted or fulcrumed on the shaft L, and is provided at its upper end with an enlarged head having a beveled lower edge, q. This head is L- shaped in cross-section, and, when the block is raised to close the barrel, is flush withthe flange-seat formed in the end of the barrel. When the thumb-lever M is depressed the'breech-block is forced against the horizontal arm 1 of the angular ejector 1?, cansing it to swing upon the shaft L, and throwing the vertical arm out of its seat or recess into the posltion shown in Fig. 3. The effectof this movement is to draw the empty cartridge-shell out of the barrel after firing. A new cartridge having been inserted into the barrel, the movement of the lever is reversedthat is, it is drawn up-causing the extractor to recede into its seat, and the breech-block to be raised into position for closing the barrel. This is accomplished by the breech-block coming into contact with the beveled under side of the head 00 of the ejector 1?.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- v 1. The combination, with the barrel A and the vertically-sliding breech-block I, of the jointed lever J, having prismatic eye m, the rock-shaft L, extending through said eye, and the thumb-lever M at the side of the lock-case, substantially as specified.

2. The barrel A, having slot 2 and guides h, the breech-block I, having a firing-pin, j, the jointed lever J, having eye m, the rock-shaft L, and the spring n, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

WARREN M. CLARK. Witnesses:

WILLIAM F. BAIRD, J NEWTON DEXTER. 

